How-to: DIY Mosaics–No Kits, Just Concrete!

You know those adorable concrete mosaic kits that they sell in all the big-box craft stores, the ones with all the stuff that you need to make one concrete mosaic, handprint optional, to put in your garden path in the spring? The ones that look really fun to make, and you’re pretty sure that the grandparents would just adore one made by your kids?

Yeah, you can make dozens and dozens of your own concrete mosaics for the same price as one of those mosaic kits, and even more cheaply, if you use found and natural objects for the mosaic tiles, and recycle plastic packaging for the concrete molds.

Seriously, the only material that you need to buy to make concrete mosaics is the concrete. And yes, you can buy fancy-pants mosaic concrete if you want to spend the money, but you can also head on down to your local mom and pop hardware store and just buy yourself some…concrete. That’s it. Whether it’s called concrete or cement, it’ll work, and it’s cheap, so I’m telling you right now to spring for the more expensive, higher-grade concrete. If you buy the cheapest concrete you’ll find yourself out in the yard for half the day sifting all the pebbles out of your concrete, and you just don’t need that kind of hassle.

You can also substitute cement mortar for the concrete, and frankly cement mortar is my favorite, because it doesn’t have the pebbles to sift out.

Before you spend money on concrete, it’s worth trying to Freecycle some–people rarely purchase just the right amount of materials for a particular project, and even a quarter of a bag of concrete is going to do you just fine.

To mix the concrete, get out an old bucket, an old cup, and a paint stirrer. Measure out an amount of concrete that will fill your mold (Do you know how to fill a mold with water and then pour it into a measuring cup to find the volume? Science in action!), and just enough tap water, a little at a time, to give the concrete a brownie batter-like consistency. This is actually the only part of the project that’s messy, since concrete mix is dusty, so do this on the porch.

While you’re Freecycling your concrete, see if anybody has any concrete mosaic molds that they’re looking to get rid of, but take-out containers, deli containers, silicon cake molds, and any crap plastic packaging that you’re stuck figuring out how to recycle also make perfect molds for mosaics. If you’re worried that your mosaic will stick to the mold (it probably won’t), grease it up a little first with cooking oil, lotion, or whatever you’ve got handy.

Scoop concrete into the mold, overfilling it slightly, and lift the mold up and thump it down a few times to release any air bubbles from the mix. Use your paint stirrer like a straight edge to scrape the concrete nice and flat and flush with the edge of the mold.

For mosaic tiles, take a walk around your house and gather up all the little loose bits and detritus of daily living, from beads and buttons to nuts and washers to game pieces and LEGOs. Your kids don’t play Hungry Hungry Hippos anymore? Take the marbles! They’re tired of making friendship bracelets? Grab the pony beads!

This is a really, really simple mosaic, basically the simplest there is and thus an excellent introduction to the art and a good project for beginners, so we’re not worrying about grout or any other nonsense. All you have to do is push each mosaic tile into the concrete until it’s flush with the top of the mold. As you can see from the photo, kids can do this, and you can do this at your living room table. It’s simple.

Slide your concrete mold somewhere out of the way (don’t try to carry it around yet!) for a few hours, then go over each mosaic tile with an old toothbrush to brush away any concrete bits. Later, when you’ve reached the curing time listed on your bag of concrete, go over the tiles again with a damp cloth to clean them off and shine them up. Give away your mosaics for Christmas, and plant them in your garden in the spring. Finally, you’ll have a nice place to stand while you admire the basil!

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About the Author

Julie Finn I'm a writer, crafter, Zombie Preparedness Planner, and homeschooling momma of two kids who will hopefully someday transition into using their genius for good, not the evil machinations and mess-making in which they currently indulge. I'm interested in recycling and nature crafts, food security, STEM education, and the DIY lifestyle, however it's manifested--making myself some underwear out of T-shirts? Done it. Teaching myself guitar? Doing it right now.
Visit my blog Craft Knife for a peek at our very weird handmade homeschool life; my etsy shop Pumpkin+Bear for a truly odd number of rainbow-themed beeswax pretties; and my Google + for links to articles about poverty, educational politics, and this famous cat who lives in my neighborhood.

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6 Responses to How-to: DIY Mosaics–No Kits, Just Concrete!

One thing to be aware of is that concrete is actually caustic and can cause severe burns if handled with bare hands too much. cement.org say this on the matter,’Prolonged contact between fresh concrete and skin surfaces, eyes, and clothing may result in burns that are quite severe, including third-degree burns.’

Do the finished stepping stones need to be sealed before they go outside? We received one as a wedding gift years back and the lady who made it said she used a sealant on it. I would love to know since this looks like a good thing to add to the list of indoor activities for this winter. Thanks!

It’s going to depend on the effect that you want. The stepping stones don’t need to be sealed, and I don’t seal mine, but they will weather, then–acquire a patina after a few years, for instance, or the plastic game pieces might crack. If you do seal the stepping stone, it’ll remain in mint condition, but won’t develop as much character, perhaps, so if you want them to stay looking exactly as you made them, then you need to seal them.

I will say that the nice thing about buying a kit is that the mold is re-usable! I’ve often bought a kit when I’ve tried some craft or other for the first time, then used the tools and information from that kit to DIY those projects from then on.

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